A Chance
by Kristen3
Summary: An AU continuation of "Daphne Hates Sherry." After taking a bath at Niles', Daphne remarks on how soft his Indian cotton towels are, and his response leads to a surprise for both of them. One-shot.


**Author's ****Note: **Lately, I've seen some very hot weather, and that always makes me think of "Daphne Hates Sherry." After rewatching the Montana scenes from that episode, an idea struck, and I decided to do yet another story on it. I know that there are probably more stories for this than any other episode (except maybe "Something Borrowed"), but I hope no one minds one more!

Daphne sighed as she walked back downstairs in her bathrobe. She felt much better now.

"Did you enjoy your bath?" Niles asked.

"Yes," Daphne said as she reached the ground floor. "I can't tell you how much better I feel."

Niles smiled. "I'm so glad. Would you care for some fruit?"

Daphne looked at the assortment he'd spread on the coffee table. Suddenly, she realized she was hungry. "Thank you." She moved forward and took a piece.

"You're welcome. How about some champagne?"

"Oh. All right," Daphne said, surprised he'd gone to this much trouble for her. Niles turned away to pour her a glass. "You know, that bathroom of yours is lovely. And thank you for suggesting the Indian cotton towels. I couldn't believe how soft they were!"

Niles smiled as he handed her the drink. "You're quite welcome. As long as you're here, I want you to feel at home."

"That's so nice to hear. I wish your brother treated me this well. He has all sorts of fancy soaps and towels in his bathroom, but he won't let anyone else use them. I'm stuck with me old bath towels." She sighed.

It hurt Niles to hear how she'd been treated in her very own home. He knew Frasier considered her the help, but that didn't mean she shouldn't be allowed to treat herself once in a while. "Daphne, I think you deserve better than that."

Daphne smiled. "Well, so do I, but it's not like I can afford it." She laughed.

Niles loved the sound of her laugh. But the reality of the situation began to hit him. The woman he loved was barely able to make ends meet on her salary. He knew she would never accept any sort of financial help, but he thought there might be something he could do. Suddenly, he went straight to his hall closet, while Daphne watched him in confusion.

To Daphne's surprise, he opened the closet and turned around. His arms were full of white towels, very similar to the ones she'd just been using upstairs. "Dr. Crane, what are you doing?"

"Well, I bought more than I really need, so why don't you take some back with you when you return to Frasier's?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't," Daphne protested.

"I insist."

Daphne's heart warmed at his words. "You really do care about me, don't you?" She couldn't help being a bit surprised by this revelation. After all, earlier tonight, she'd felt almost worthless.

"Yes, Daphne, I do. The way you look after Dad and Frasier amazes me. You've been a godsend to all of us."

Daphne blushed. How could he say such things about her? She certainly didn't deserve them. Despite her shock, she knew he was waiting for a response. "Thank you," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "You've been so good to me."

Niles knew she was referring to the things he'd done tonight, taking her in, and allowing her to use his tub. Things any friend would do. But he didn't do them simply out of friendship.

"What's wrong?" Daphne asked when he suddenly seemed sad.

"It's not important. You've had a rough night, and you don't want to hear about my problems." Niles also wasn't sure if he was ready to tell Daphne how he felt.

"Nonsense," Daphne replied immediately. "You're me friend, and I care about you, too. If something's on your mind, maybe it would help you to talk about it." She reached for his arm.

Niles knew she was concerned about him, and he loved her all the more because of that. He sighed as he put the towels down on a nearby chair. Daphne quickly guided him back to the fainting couch. "Now, what's wrong?" she asked as they sat, her tone making it clear that he wasn't going to get away with beating around the bush again.

"Well, there's a reason I want you to feel welcome here. I care about you a great deal. Not just because of what you do for Dad and Frasier, although that would certainly be enough. The truth is, I love you."

"You love me?!" Daphne couldn't hide her surprise.

Niles nodded. "With all my heart." He took her hand, amazed at how soft it was. "That was why I fainted earlier when you showed up here and asked to spend the night."

At first, Daphne was too stunned to know how to react. But then she thought about the night she'd had. In a way, it was almost a blessing that all her friends had been busy tonight. She felt sure that she would never have been treated so well anywhere else. The other Dr. Crane was always saying on his radio show that people who started off as friends had a better chance of staying together. By getting to know each other first, Daphne knew she'd had a chance to see that Dr. Crane was someone she could trust. He'd certainly proven that tonight.

She knew he was waiting for her response. "Well, I can't say that this doesn't comes as a surprise. But after what we've talked about tonight, with Sherry's comments, I feel like I could tell you anything. And you've gone out of your way to make me feel at home here. It must be working, because I've never felt so safe in all my life. I know I should go back to your brother's and try to mend things with Sherry. But right now, I don't really want to. Being here with you is nice."

Niles sensed that this was a beginning. Maybe she hadn't responded the way he'd always imagined it. But it was a start. Daphne trusted him. The idea made him feel ten feet tall. He put his arm around Daphne. He didn't need all of his dreams to come true at once. All he'd ever wanted was a chance. Everything else could wait.

**The End**


End file.
